Being Thankful
Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:28
The deeper we dive into the gospel the more thankful we will be because the unthinkable sufferings of Jesus tell us the extent of our sin and the extent of his love. Jesus would not need to come here and be butchered if my sin wasn’t unimaginably serious.
Being in Christ also brings with it new citizenship in a kingdom that is unaffected by sin. Everything around us is broken, unstable and temporary; it will all vanish. However, we can experience some of this kingdom now, and someday we will fully experience it.
The author of Hebrews 12:28 seems to ground our thanksgiving in a reminder – God is a consuming fire. God, being holy and purely good, cannot simply turn his back on sin. All that is sin and stained with impurity will be consumed. But because Jesus, the perfect one, is our champion, we get only blessing.
Being thankful for the gifts of God is important. More important, however, is the Giver of the gifts. More important is the One who loved the unlovable and gave himself for them.
Thank you father for not giving me what I deserve. You are truly gracious to the sinner. I know I don’t see the magnitude of my sin as I should. And I don’t feel the beauty of the gospel the way I should. I’m sorry. Thank you for being my unshakable savior. Please cause me to see your goodness as I should. Cause me to be more thankful.
Song: Thank You